On first listen, it sounds every bit as fresh as the pre-release buzz suggested it would be. My esteemed colleague Chris Willman has anointed Memory with an enthusiastic A-, and I’m just about ready to co-sign his declaration that this is Macca’s “best record since 1989’s Flowers in the Dirt.” (Though I still have a soft spot for 2005’s Nigel Godrich-produced Chaos & Creation in the Backyard.) For starters, the soft, reflective ballads (“You Tell Me“) are among the strongest McCartney’s turned out in the past couple of decades; more importantly, so are the blistering rockers (“Nod Your Head“). Even the experimental flourishes, so often overlooked by casual McCartney listeners, sound fantastic here — I’m especially digging the vocoder chorale in “Feet in the Clouds” and the glitchy pre-chorus breakdown of “Vintage Clothes.”And how about you, PopWatchers? Let’s hear it: Grab your favorite flavor of latte, follow that link, and report back on your reactions below.